A SMOTHERING THREAT, MLive, Nov 1, 2017“Stiltgrass can smother and outcompete native wildflowers, forbs and grasses,” said Eleanor Serocki, coordinator for the South by Southwest Corner Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area. “It’s been a major problem in other areas, so we have to work quickly to ensure it doesn’t become one here.”

‘Cute’ urban deer eat tons of vegetation, spread disease and damage ecosystems, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Nov 26, 2017 At a November meeting of Friends of Riverview Park, ecologist Tim Nuttle explained that the 251-acre public space, billed by the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy as “a jewel of Pittsburgh’s North Side,” is being tarnished by an infestation of an aggressive invasive Asian worm. The worm destroys leaf litter, threatening the growth of new plants throughout the forest. A high density of white-tailed deer, which eat young plant shoots before their roots anchor to the ground and deposit waste that feeds the worms, is exacerbating the problem.

Deer prefer native plants leaving lasting damage on forests, Science Daily, Oct 6, 2017When rampant white-tailed deer graze in forests, they prefer to eat native plants over certain unpalatable invasive plants, such as garlic mustard and Japanese stiltgrass. These eating habits lower native plant diversity and abundance, while increasing the proportion of plant communities made up of non-native species, according to a new study.

State finds new invasive weed, FreePress, Sept 2, 2017According to a news release from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Japanese stiltgrass has been positively identified on private property in Scio Township, near Ann Arbor in Washtenaw County. “This annual grass is considered highly invasive, taking hold in areas of disturbed soil along banks, roadways and woods,” said Greg Norwood, invasive species coordinator for the DNR’s Wildlife Division. “Seeds can be transported by water or on animals, and seeds can remain viable in the soil for three to five years. Because deer don’t feed on Japanese stiltgrass, it often takes over in areas where deer browse on native plants and leave open patches of soil.”

Fighting phragmites a never-ending battle, MLive, Aug 8, 2017Phragmites (frag-MY-teez) is an aggressive, invasive plant that grows to 15 feet in height and has had a massive impact on the ecological health of Michigan’s wetlands and coastal shoreline. Ever-expanding stands of the grass have crowded out thousands of acres of native plants across the state in recent decades, destroying food and shelter for wildlife, blocking natural shoreline views, and reducing access for swimming, fishing and hunting.

Deer Discovery: Invasive Plants Get Boost from too Many Deer, Smithsonian Insider, May 6, 2016A survey of the two study plots after 25 years revealed the density of Japanese barberry, wine raspberry and Japanese stiltgrass was much higher in the open plot. The presence or absence of deer, they found, was an excellent predictor of the abundance of exotic plant species.

Are we helpless?

"The native plants are tramped down, the bushes are gnawed, and my three-year-old grandson can't play in the back yard because of the deer droppings. If humans entered our property and exacted such a toll we would have legal recourse We're watching the curb appeal and property value decline at a time when our taxes are rising. We are without defense."
M. Holland, Ann Arbor resident